Doctrine of Frost
The people of Sycia worship Yphine, Goddess of the Frost. They see every winter as a holy trial, allowing the Sycians to become strong. The leader of Sycia is the religion's High Priestess, and also the spiritual leader of the Kingdom. They believe she is an avatar of the Goddess sent down to the mortal realm. The people believe Yphine will one day bury the world in an eternal winter, and only the true believers will be saved, lead to a land of eternal prosperity. Those who practice the Doctrine of Frost are expected to make two pilgrimages in their lifetime. The first is to the Icefall of the White Lady, where one is expected to stay for two straight days of prayer and thought. The second is to Yphinerra itself, to attend either the festival celebrating the beginning of Winter or that celebrating the end led by the High Priestess. They only need attend once in their life, but they are certainly willing to come back as many times as they would like as their personal spirituality or desire for fun so demands. Though never required, many bring gifts to the High Priestess at this time. The first pilgrimage is expected to be done alone before the person turns 21. The second is more of a tradition than a religious ultimatum. The Head Priestess has always been a woman of Sycian catfolk blood. There are numerous signs to determine who the next high priestess will be, but the most important is ice magic. Each high priestess possesses some magical sorcerous ability, largely focused in ice and cold. Hierarchy Below the High Priestess are twelve Head Priests that are half male and half female (always, except in temporary cases of extreme need), who act as advisors to the High Priestess. Each one heads a section of the Church and kingdom and that section's duties. These sections are: Culture, Worship, Construction, Scribes, Agriculture/Industry, Foreign Affairs, Interfaith Affairs, Funds, Military, Clergy Oversight, Judicial/Moral Guidance, History/Tradition. The High Priestess has final say in all matters should she so choose to intervene, and under the Head Priests, the hierarchy is further broken down by duties, but the gist of it is that each one heads many priests and priestesses under them. The Clergy Oversight Head Priest chooses who is raised to the position of Head Priest from that positions respective department, when such a decision is necessary. The agreement of the High Priestess is necessary however. When a new Head Priest of Clergy Oversight is needed to be chosen the High Priestess elects him or her from (according to tradition, but not law) from among the other eleven current Head Priests. The Head Priest of Clergy Oversight is the only Head Priest without a large department under him or her, instead being aided by a select few priests or priestesses of his or her choosing. There is no rite or rules that prevent one from entering the clergy, though only true dedication, faith, and talent can elevate a person from the lowest levels, and training is required. The Marvella Reformation After High Priestess Marvella took the throne of Sycia, she began making sweeping changes to how the Doctrine operated. Firstly, an extremely high emphasis was placed on how precious life was. Surely, the argument went, if Yphine didn't want as many people as possible to survive the winter, then she would never have created the Doctrine? Secondly, the Clergy Oversight Head Priest lost the power to appoint new head priests. Instead, the High Priestess personally selects a candidate (possibly on recommendation from other nations) and the head priests and priestesses approve or disapprove. Perhaps most importantly, she introduced the Crusaders. Sycia rents out its air force to other nations in exchange for allowing small conversions of the populace of that nation. Generally the conversions occur in the land the knights fight in, as the crusaders will multitask as preachers as well as warriors, though there are exceptions to this, such as the Kingdom of Serendel. A little more secretively, Marvella enacted numerous reforms to the priesthood's sex lives. Namely, she allowed them such at all - in particular, priests and priestesses below the head priests were allowed to marry, and those above were allowed consorts, but not children. No one is sure why she did this, but it did occur a strangely short time before the Fourth Grand Ball. Holidays The Doctrine's festivities are largely an excuse to party and glorify Yphine's name for various reasons. Dragon's Eye Festival While technically this is a festival for the Tzaltec, Yphine's faithful often spend this day in reverence as well. While the Tzaltec use the day to glorify and celebrate the fire dragon, the Doctrine uses this day to celebrate the alliance between the two gods. It's the only day where performing religious rites to Tzultetep are deemed appropriate, and many of the Doctrine actually go to Tzaltec lands to celebrate. This is also a time where it's considered a worthy endeavor for Sycian women, married or no, to conceive a child born from a Tzaltec father. It's considered symbolic of the on-off again relationship between the two dieties, and is considered to help... ahem... 'bring the cultures closer together', as it were. It's said that children born from such unions are destined for blessed by Yphine, and children conceived during the eclipse itself are destined for greatness (considering how important this eclipse is to the Tzaltec, this is much easier said than done). The Frostmoon Festival First known instance: ''397 Once every 20 years, the small blue moon eclipses the Silver moon. The reflection of the blue moon against the silver spreads across the planet, causing an entire night to be shrouded in blue. This is the Frostmoon festival, and is considered one of Yphine's holiest evenings. It is a night of mass prayer under the sky that Yphine has blessed. It's said that the blue light returns youth and blesses one with good fortune. It is a momentous occasion, often accompanied by great bonfires. While individual cities and towns tend to celebrate it in their own way, it's become a tradition for many to begin moving on this day. According to legend, the Frostmoon is the night where Yphine takes a moment to blanket the world in new cold to keep the Flame back. The Silver Lady may be involved somehow - in fact, given the fact that both moons must eclipse it's fairly likely - but it's unknown how or why. Yphin'arai (Literally, Winter is Coming - More commonly known as Frostart) The week before winter begins is a time of rapid preparation and storage. While not the happiest of festivities, this is a time for giving practical gifts to people who need them. Fur coats are a popular choice, as well as wood and other supplies. Winter's End The end of every winter is a time of prayer, celebration and feasts. Gifts are given to all who managed to make it through another winter safe and sound, though these are meant to be sentimental rather than practical. In addition, the lives of those who could not make it are celebrated and mourned. It is both somber and uplifting, bitter and sweet. Myths The Doctrine has many stories and mythological tales, as most religions do. Several of them have been declared outright heretical for various reasons, but most that continue to survive to this day are considered true. There are various criteria for how 'true' a story is - the likelihood that it actually occurred being the most important. The stories here are summarized. Canon These stories are officially acknowledged by the Doctrine's actual text. The World is Born ''This story is told in rhyme, and is one of the oldest in the Doctrine's canon. In the beginning, the universe was aflame. The fires danced constantly, in an unending inferno. But as with all things left to move for too long, something inevitably occurred against that design: all of the dancing heat and flame left one spot in the universe for a split second. From that split second, the cold spot in the universe fought for survival, pushing back the heat. This one spot eventually formed into the goddess Yphine. The story goes on to tell of Yphine's efforts to build a world composed of ice. It ultimately ended in failure, so she started fashioning things that could not melt, but the flames used them to burn. She creates things that could not burn, and begins to piece them together into the world. Eventually, Yphine created the catfolk in the land of Sycia. She created the icefall, a place so cold that even the flames would need centuries to melt it away and turned her attention towards the unending flame. Though unable to stop it entirely without also destroying herself, she was able to force it back into one spot in the sky: the sun. The moon was formed as a beacon of cold, meant to hold back the heat from her creation. In this way, she created the world and ensured ice could exist on it. One day she will destroy the flame entirely, which will lead to the eternal winter. This story does not acknowledge the existence of any mortal race other than the catfolk. Instead, the creation of the various other gods and races are told in other stories within the canon or within supplementary texts. The Dragon and the Lord This story is one of the youngest of the Doctrine's canon. It is believed to be a revised tale of how the Lord of Fire came to be. However, several parts of the story are believed to be incorrect, in particular the section where it is stated outright that Tzultetep was born of the Lord of Fire. Some scholars believe that Tzultetep was actually born from a wound that Yphine inflicted on the Lord, since Tzultetep does not approach her before that battle and no known act drove a wedge between the dragon and lord of fire. Though Yphine was greater than any flame, the flame itself was not to be denied. It birthed a noble and powerful being to act as its agent on the world Yphine had created. This being is the one widely known now as the Lord of Fire. The Lord of Fire was clever and sly, and knew that Yphine valued the mortals on the world. So he made mortal races dependent upon fire itself to survive. Without heat, mortals would slowly die. He created humans, sculpting them from the corpse of a dead catfolk, and sent them across the earth. He had many children, each powerful in their own right in powers of the flame. Yphine killed each of them in turn, but was not able to defeat the Lord of Fire in single combat so long as even one of his children lived. Each time she thought him vanquished, he would return. For a time, the Lord of Fire thought himself victorious. For a time, even Yphine believed it (this is the main reason why the Lord of Fire is given such deep respect - he is the only god in all mythology to actually beat Yphine, even temporarily.) However, it was at this time that Tzultetep came to Yphine and struck a deal with her. He had grown angry and resentful of the Lord of Fire (who he refused to call father) and desired all the power of the flame for himself. Yphine found the god amusing, and so she listened to his plan: Tzultetep would devour each of the gods that Yphine killed so that their essence could not be reborn. Then, they would strike at the lord of fire himself. Yphine agreed, on the condition that Tzultetep alone would bear the flame. Initially, both gods planned to backstab the other, but over the course of the tale, Tzultetep fell deeply in love with Yphine (especially her dragon form). Yphine grew fond of the dragon-god as well, and ultimately decided not to kill him as she had planned and allow him to live out the millennia as her consort. The tale ends with Tzultetep declaring to her that he would not be hers - rather, he would hold the Winter back forever, and she would be his ''consort. She laughs - for Tzultetep could not stand against the might of the winter - and calls it a bet. The matter of the Lord of Fire is left unresolved, implying that the two have yet to complete their ultimate goal. It's also left vague why Yphine thinks she can defeat Tzultetep if the latter has power over flame equal to the Lord of Fire she could not beat, but it's implied that once the Lord of fire is dead the gods of flame will lose their ability to regenerate. Semicanon These stories are technically not part of the Doctrine, but are widely read and/or accepted by its adherents. The Folly of Hjelmi ''This story is relatively new, dating back to the Glazi Civil War, and takes place largely in Glazfell. At war with the Warlord Hafdaan, whose lands lay to the south and west, the warlord Hjelmi of Psilberg found his cities under siege by his hated foe. He had his army and thought that perhaps he could defeat Hafdaan's men, but knew that his losses would be terrible. Hjelmi looked upon his cities and saw many able-bodied men other than his soldiers: Hunters, smiths, porters, and others. Thinking to use them to his advantage, he ordered the commons to take up spears and stones to join his army against Hafdaan. Some protested, but after the first whipping the rest complied. When Hafdaan's army came, Hjelmi's army and his rabble of militia met him upon the field. The battle was long and fierce, but by the time Hafdaan's men had finished routing the militia, they were fatigued and had many injuries, and so the fresh soldiers under Hjelmi's banner soundly defeated them. Having taken too many losses to push through, Hafdaan ordered the retreat. Hjelmi returned to Psilberg in victory, just as winter fell. Winter was terrible that year, however. There were not enough hunters alive to feed the people. There were not enough smiths alive to keep the army's spears good. There were not enough healers to help the sick. Many died, and by the time the winter ended, Hjelmi's army and his people were in poor health, under-equipped, and all of their animals were already dead. That spring, Hafdaan returned with his full army, and took Psilberg without a single man lost. This story is ultimately a parable rather than necessarily true, though it uses the names of real places and people. The general interpretation of the Folly of Hjelmi claims that war is a thing for warriors, and pressing the common people to fight in a war or even just to appear onto a battlefield without proper training and equipment is wrong and doing so to win a fleeting victory will bring suffering upon the people. Notably, if non-soldiers are killed upon the battlefield, at least in the tale, the fault is placed on the army that forced them to be there than the one that did the killing. This tale has had noticeable effects on history; in every war Glazfell has fought, it has refused to raise the militia from its commons even under threat of invasion. It's also worth noting that in some versions of this tale, Yphine personally intercedes on Hafdaan's behalf, having witnessed the pointless slaughter. She deliberately created a winter too harsh for Hjelmi's battered people to overcome, and this led to Hafdaan's eventual conversion to the Doctrine. Hafdaan was historically the victor of the battle that the tale makes reference to, and also begin Glazfell's conversion to the Doctrine. It also makes sense in that winter is acknowledged by the Doctrine as a holy trial for the people. Sycian Nights This is a poem that begins the popular 'Sycian Nights' series of stories. The first such tale was originally written in the year 500 by Sain M. Bark, and is attributed to him. Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place Where the sheet of the ice cracks Where they freeze off your face If you blaspheme the faith It's barbaric, but hey, it's home When there’s cold in the ground and there’s lights in the sky And the Yphine’s Tears glow Come on down stop on by On a Pegasus fly To another Sycian night Sycian nights, like Sycian days More often than told Are colder than cold In every known place Sycian nights, 'neath more than two moons A fool may just slide Off his Pegasus ride And fall to his ruin Heretical This section contains stories that have been declared heresy by the Doctrine for various reasons. They are not acknowledged as official lore, and in many cases are deemed outright damaging to the church. Beauty and the Thief This story was deemed heretical by both the Doctrine and the Dragon Cult. The former for defamation of the goddess, disrespect to the Lord of Fire, diminishing of Tzultetep, and 'reading more like a porno than a religious text'. The latter for slande, claiming that Tzultetep's power was stolen, diminishing the Lord of Fire to an old pervert, and atrocious grammar. A copy is kept in the Sycian library for posterity, but all other copies have been destroyed upon discovery. Long ago, the Lord of Fire was the king of all gods. They all bowed before and worshipped him as we today worship our own gods. Yphine and Tzultetep found this situation deplorable, and so together (for even in those days the two were lovers) hatched a plan. Yphine, in the guise of her beautiful and voluptuous catfolk form, went to the Lord of Fire and showered him with affection. So beautiful was she that even the mightiest of the gods could not tear his eyes away. Tzultetep snuck into the room blindfolded and, while Yphine "worked her magic", began to steal bits and pieces of the Lord of Fire's power. For three days and nights he worked, Yphine seducing the lord all the while. By the time the Lord of Fire noticed he had been diminished, Tzultetep had stolen almost all of his power, and become the greater of the two. However, Yphine's cunning showed its face, and she revealed that she'd been diminishing the Lord of Fire the entire time as well - so now, Tzultetep AND the Lord of Fire were beneath her, and she would only give the power to whomever pleased her the most. The story then outlines no less tan 18 sex scenes where Tzultetep and the Lord of Fire try to please her. In the end she revealed that she lied, and had just wanted to have sex. For the record, that last line is literally how the story ends. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18376001&postcount=49 Category:Organised Religions